Worcester Odd Fellows building may be razed

The historic, 19th-century former Odd Fellows Home building that overlooks the north end of the city may soon become a memory.

A developer wants to raze the long-vacant, 3-1/2-story brick-and-stone building at 102 Randolph Road and construct in its place a $14.6 million, 61,920-square-foot state-of-the-art rest home residence for 82 elderly persons.

The home will consist of two buildings, each with 41 beds. The facility will also serve those diagnosed with memory impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Meanwhile, City Manager Michael V. O'Brien is asking the City Council to designate the property as a Site Specific Economic Opportunity Area and as a Certified Project.

Such a designation enables the city to offer the developer a tax-increment financial deal, more commonly known as a TIF, to help finance the project.

Under the deal, the developer would save $1.9 million in property taxes over a 12-year period. Upon completion of the two phases of the project, the city will receive an estimated $3.2 million in property taxes, according to the city manager.

He said upon the expiration of the TIF deal, if both phases are completed, the city would realize an estimated $487,114 in tax revenues annually from the property.

In comparison, the property generated just $19,213 in property taxes last fiscal year.

KMRN Investment plans on leasing the property, which consists of 4.2 acres of land and a vacant, blighted 83,993-square-foot building, to The Oasis at Dodge Park LLC.

The principals of the companies operate the Dodge Park Rest Home at 101 Randolph Road. Together, they have more than 50 years of experience in the health care industry, according to Timothy J. McGourthy, the city's chief development officer.

He said the rest home project will be built in two phases. Phase I consists of demolition, site work, construction of one of the buildings, the purchase of furniture, fixtures and equipment, securing bed licenses and other soft costs is estimated at $9 million.

Phase II, meanwhile, entails the construction of the second building, the purchase of furniture, fixtures and equipment, and securing bed licenses, and is projected to cost $5.6 million. Work on that is expected to start 18 months after the completion of the first phase.

The first phase of the project is expected to result in the creation of at least 49 permanent, full-time positions in 2015 and 2016, while the second phase is expected to create at least 29 permanent, full-time positions in 2018 and 2019.

The companies have said they will ensure that 100 percent of the jobs to be created will be made available to Worcester residents through the city's Workforce Development Division and job fairs. In addition, they have also ensured that a minimum of 75 percent of the full-time jobs will go to Worcester residents during the life of the 12-year TIF plan.

The Odd Fellows Home building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was built on land donated to the Odd Fellows in 1890 by Thomas Dodge, a prominent Worcester inventor and patent lawyer.

The home was built as a retirement home for Odd Fellows, members of the international fraternal and benevolent organization.

But the building fell into disrepair after it was closed.

In 2009 a proposal was brought forward to redevelop the property into two four-story buildings, with each building having 40 units of housing.

The Historical Commission approved the developer's request to waive the city's one-year demolition delay ordinance for two buildings that were additions to the Odd Fellows building. At the same time, the developer agreed to save the original building with its five-story clock tower.

But those plans never advanced. KMRN Investment then stepped forward in March 2012 to purchase the property from Randolph Road Realty Trust.

The Odd Fellows building is on Preservation Worcester's “Most Endangered Buildings” list.

While it is a historic property, the building can be legally demolished; the one-year demolition delay ordinance on the building expired in April 2011.

KMRN Investment has a petition before the Zoning Board of Appeals Monday night in which it is seeking a special permit to allow the operation of a nursing home in a residential-general zoning district.